Project: Involves 1.5 miles of road paving at the Sand Mountain Recreation Area, which is located east of Fallon, Nevada.

ARRA Funding Level: $1,079,000

Progress:

February 2, 2011: $1,074,984 obligated, $1,024,101 spent. Work included reconstruction and paving of the entrance road to the Sand Mountain Recreation Area from its intersection with nearby U.S. Highway 50.

Contracts: $1,060,000 awarded to Hal Hayes Construction, Inc., a general and civil construction firm based in Riverside, California.

Jobs: Contract workers on-site ranged from 2-15 on any given day, depending on trade and task. All construction performed by subcontractor A&K Construction out of Fallon, Nevada.

Local purchases: The contractor spent more than $500,000 to acquire materials and supplies from local merchants and businesses in constructing this project.

Completed: September 30, 2010

Benefits and Needs: The road repairs will address safety requirements and provide adequate access to the recreation area. The road also provides access to the Sand Springs Pony Express Station. Since the entrance road is the only connection between U.S. Highway 50 and Sand Mountain, visitor access was slightly restricted on weekdays during heavy road construction and asphalt paving work. But visitors were still able to access the Sand Mountain Recreation Area during final construction.

Background: Located in Churchill County, just north of U.S. Highway 50, "The Loneliest Road in America," Sand Mountain is 25 miles east of Fallon, Nevada. The sand dunes of the 4,795-acre recreation fee area provide challenge and excitement for off-highway vehicle riders and sandboarders.

View of Sand Mountain entrance road looking north.New fee entrance station under construction: Looking north to the new Sand Mountain fee entrance station. Note that the windows have not yet been installed, nor has the pavement been striped.